Book of Mormon Monday

Scripture of the Day:

Ether 12:3-9

3 For he did ^acry from the ^bmorning, even until the going down of the sun, exhorting the people to believe in God unto repentance lest they should be ^cdestroyed, saying unto them that ^dby ^efaith all things are fulfilled—

4 Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with ^asurety ^bhope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which ^chope cometh of ^dfaith, maketh an ^eanchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in ^fgood works, being led to ^gglorify God.

5 And it came to pass that Ether did prophesy great and marvelous things unto the people, which they did not believe, because they ^asaw them not.

6 And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that ^afaith is things which are ^bhoped for and ^cnot seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no ^dwitness until after the ^etrial of your faith.

7 For it was by faith that Christ showed himself unto our fathers, after he had risen from the dead; and he showed not himself unto them until after they had faith in him; wherefore, it must needs be that some had faith in him, for he showed himself ^anot unto the world.

8 But because of the faith of men he has shown himself unto the world, and glorified the name of the Father, and prepared a way that thereby others might be partakers of the heavenly gift, that they might hope for those things which they have not seen.

9 Wherefore, ye may also have hope, and be partakers of the gift, if ye will but have faith.

Historical Background:

Ether chapter 12 contains the reflections of Moroni as he is transcribing the history of the Jaredites onto his own record. As he outlines the teachings of Ether to the people of his day, Moroni reflects on the application of those principles in his own life. For more information, read this section of the Gospel Doctrine Manual.

Gospel Principles Outlined:

1) Faith and hope allow us to be anchored to the Savior.

2) As we study the scriptures, we should evaluate the application of their teachings in our own lives.

3) Trial or application of faith will lead to increased witness of the truthfulness of gospel principles.

4) The Savior will reveal Himself to us as we apply principles of faith in our lives.

5) Faith and hope are tandem gospel principles and work together to lead us to exaltation.

What I Learned Today:

I love the example of reflection that we get from Moroni in this passage. As he reviews the things that Ether taught, he ponders the ways that those principles can be applied in his life and the lives of others (e.g. those reading his writings). Our study of the scriptures does not really mean much if we do not ponder their application today. For example, when we have faith and hope acting together in tandem, we will press forward in follow the Lord's commandments today despite the social pressures that we feel around us to live a different way. We do that because we have complete trust that regardless of what is presently happening, we know what the Lord has prepared for us and that is great.

Here are some additional resources on these principles:

"Faith, An Anchor for the Soul" by Brad and Wendee Wilcox

"Hope, An Anchor of the Soul" by President James E. Faust

"The Infinite Power of Hope" by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

LDS Gospel Library, Gospel Topics: Hope

Things I Will Implement:

Something I think will be helpful for me in order to apply these principles will be to sit down and determine with the Lord some positive goals for my life and then apply faith and hope to the manner in which I execute those goals. As I work for righteous things, I will focus more on trusting the Lord to bless my life and work with hope towards those blessings.